Since there have been many edits, and the original build isn't really relevant, I've replaced it with the current one that I'm looking at.

Original post available here:

My friend wants a new PC, and he's looking to spend about Â£400 on it.

He already has all of the peripherals, and to save money, we're probably going to put it into one of my old cases, so he won't need that.He also won't need a DVD drive, nor an operating system (he's probably going to use his old Windows XP disk).

That means for Â£400, I need a list of:CPUMotherboardRAMGPUPSUHeatsink (if overclocking)Hard drive

Having looked around, for this kind of budget, I think that AMD is probably the way to go. Feel free to try and persuade me otherwise, if you really want to.

That budget is *the* budget. There is no extra cash, and while I might throw in Â£10-20 of my own as a present to him, that is the absolute limit.

The computer's primarily for gaming, so let's focus on that requirement. As such, my initial build looks to be something along the lines of this:

Edit: Swapped the PSUDouble edit: Swapped the HDD to Samsung.Triple edit: Swapped the 955 price to show correctly.Quadruple edit: If you're new to the thread a new build has been suggested involving second hand parts. Feel free to submit other builds/recommendations etc, but in all likelyhood, the CPU/GPU/mobo/RAM/Cooler will all be from here making this an Intel build. Thanks for everyone's help anyway

Last edit: Updated to reflect newest build.Edited by Korlus - 5/28/11 at 8:23am

Change the PSU to the CX430 and save yourself some money. The OCZ isn't the greatest unit anyway. If you really must get something 'futureproof' now, then grab the XFX Core 650W off Ebuyer for Â£60. Great PSU for the money.

I'd also suggest perhaps going for an Athlon triple core and spending more on the GPU.Edited by Fusion Racing - 5/28/11 at 4:35am

Change the PSU to the CX430 and save yourself some money. The OCZ isn't the greatest unit anyway. If you really must get something 'futureproof' now, then grab the XFX Core 650W off Ebuyer for Â£60. Great PSU for the money.

I'd also suggest perhaps going for an Athlon triple core and spending more on the GPU.

I saw an Antec High Current Gamer 620W for under Â£50. That'd be better than the CX430, since it's also a pretty poor quality unit. Also cheaper than the XFX, unless you think that the HGC series isn't great either?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Collins00

switch the hdd to samsung f3 and other than that looks sweet, buy some second hand from the forum here and you could add more value for 400

Are you sure that the Samsung is better than the Seagate? I haven't been able to find a review on both of them done by the same people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smorg

looking goood! you made sure the MB is crossfire compatible?

x8/x8 PCIe split, so it should be fine. It also has 8+2 phases, that are heatsinked, so I think it's one of the best mobo deals out there.